Means for securing covers to containers



N. A. FOWLER MEANS FOR SECURING COVERS 1'0 CONTAINERS Nov. 6, 1934.

Filed Jan. 25. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l IIIIIIIIIII jM/QWZO/i Z2 1. l owlelf N. A. FOWLER MEANS FOR SECURING COVERS T0 CONTAINERS Nov. 6, 1934.

Filed Jan. 25. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 15w 672/604 Walfw r w W l that Patented Nov. 6, 1934 MEANS FOR SECURING oovnns T CONTAINERS Neil A. Fowler, Oak Park, IlL, assignor to General Box Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application January 25, 1932, Serial No.-588,52 3 Claims. (01. 217--36) This invention relates to fastening means for containers, and more particularly to means for fastening covers to containersquickly,easily and without the need of special tools. it

5 In the [packing for shipment of vegetables, fruit, and other articles, it is of gre'at'advantage to pack the same in thefield, orchard, or other placeof production, and be able to quickly and readily fasten the cover in" place without the use of tools, nails, hammer, orthe like. Among the objects of the present invention is to provide fastening meansfor container coversfancl the like, possessing these and other advantages.

A further object is to provide such fastening means that will permit the easy removal and replacement of the cover for purposes ofinspec- 'tion, and the like, but which at the same time will securely hold the cover in place during handling and shipping. It is to be-understood he cover may beremoved and replaced as oftenas is found necessary or desirable. t

Anotherobject is the provision of fastening means thatmay befastened to the cover ready for use, orbe separate therefrom but instantly avail able for use as desired.

Further toprovide cover fastening means that may normally lie flat against the surface of the jcover. during shipment of the empty containers and covers, and beinstantly available for use by 3D bending the fastening means over the edgeofthe cover and around a bindingwire, cleat, or other available portion of the container. Also to provide a novel methodof securing a cover toacontainer either of the wire-bound type, ornot, as desired. i

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will later more fully appear. a My invention further resides in the combination, constructionand arrangement of parts illus- 910 trated in theaccompanying drawings, and while I have shown therein preferred embodiments I wish itcunderstood that the same are susceptible or modification and change without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

. 5 a 1 Referring to the drawings:-

Fig. '1 is a perspective view of a shipping container, the cover of which is fastened-to the body of ,the container by my improved fastening means.

Fig. 2 shows the cover of the container in Fig.

- 1, withuthe fastening meansin the position which Fig. i is a fragmentary perspective View showing two of the fastening elements of Fig. 2 bent outwardly, and being inserted back of a binding wire just prior to being bent intothe final form shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner-of a container similar to the container shown .in Fig. 1, except that the binding wire is omitted, and the fastening element is bent inwardly and upwardly aroundthe bottom of the upper cleat of one of the side walls.

- Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of one corner 'of the shipping container and cover, and showing a modified form of fastening means.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view .of the cover of Fig. 6, showing the position normally occupied *by the fastening elements prior to their being bent into the fastening position shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail showing how the fastening elements of Figs. 6 and 7 are secured to the cover.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner of a shipping container and cover showing a modified form of fastening means.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a cover such as shown in Fig. 9, but showing the fastening elements in the "position which they occupy while the covers are being shipped, but prior to fastening the same on to the container.

Figuli is a perspective 'view of one of the fastening elements shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional detail showing how the fastening elements of Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are applied and bent to fasten the cover in position on the container.

The fastening means shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 will now be described in detail.

The container indicated generally at 1 is preferably of the wire-bound type, and is equipped with retaining bands such as binding wires indi- 9O cated at 2, the same being stapled in position as is accomplished in the usual wire-bound blank machines. This container is shown as of the crate type, and provided with a bottom 3, which may or may not, as desired, be of open-work or 109 crate formation. These crates may, if desired, be shipped to the field, orchard, or other place of use in flat knocked-down condition, or otherwise, as desired. When shipped flat they will be bent into rectangular form, and the wires twist- 105 ed at the corners in a well-known-manner. The bottom of the container will then be placed within the lower edges of the side walls either before or after twisting of the wires, as desired. i

The .crate or container as thus formed will then 110 be filled with the vegetables, fruit, or other materialto be packed and shipped, the crate being preferably slightly more than filled, so that when the cover 4 is forced into and secured in position the central portion, as at 5, will be more or less bulged upwardly. The cover 4 is shown in Fig. 2 in the condition in which it is shipped to the place of use, in which condition the fastening elements 6 (which are preferably of flat metal) normally lie flat against the upper face of the slats of the crate cover. The outer end of fastening elements 6, as shown in Fig. 3, are first stamped to provide one or more barbs, or the like, '7 (there being two of these barbs shown in Fig. 3), which barbs seat themselves in the wood of the slats 8 of the cover, between which slats and the cleats 9 said ends of the fastening elements are positioned. When the slats and cleats are secured together by fastening elements 10, or other means, such as staples, nails, or the like, barbs '7 will be driven into the wood of the slats or strips. The remaining fastening elements 6 are secured to the cover in like manner.

As soon as the crate is filled the fastening elements 6 are bent outwardly over cleat 9, as shown in Fig. 4. The cover will preferably be applied to the container in the position shown in Fig. 4,

in which the cover is placed down upon the packed products and pressed downwardly until the ends of the cover are in a position shown in Fig. 4. This cover may be forced into position by hand, or by a press provided therefor. The fastening elements are then bent backwards and the ends pushed downwardly behind the binding wires 2, whereupon the free end of the fastening elements 6 will be bent upwardly, as shown at 11 in Fig. 1. This will securely fasten the ends of the cover in position upon the container, which fastening operation can be accomplished with the fingers of the operator without the use of special tools, nails, hammer, or the like, and the cover may also be readily removed for inspection whenever desired, and replaced as often as found necessary and desirable. This affords a fastening means capable of being quickly and easily applied, and one that will securely hold the cover in position during shipping.

As shown in Fig. 5 the binding wires 2 may be omitted, and the fastening elements 6 bent downwardly along the outer face of the uppercleat 12 of the end wall which functions as the retaining band in this figure, and then bent beneath this cleat 12 and upwardly on the inner side thereof, as shown in dotted lines at 13.. It will thus be readily seen that the fastening elements 6 are adapted for usein connection with containers with or without binding wires, as the case may be. It is also understood that while I have shown in Figs. 1 to 4 a container of the crate form, the walls may be solid if preferred. If the walls of the container are solid it is only necessary to push the free ends of fastening elements 6 behind the binding wires, and then bend the same upwardly around the binding wire. Likewise, the fastening elements need not necessarily be attached to a slat or cleat, as the top or cover may be solid or of one piece, 01' with but a cleat through the center, and the fastening elements may be attached direct to the cover or top.

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of my improved fastening means, in which the fastening elements 14.- are formed of wire bent back upon itself intermediate of its length to form a pair of parallel legs, shown in Fig. 7, the free ends 15 of the parallel legs being inserted through the cleats 9 and strips 8 of the cover, and clinched on the inner face of the cover, as shown at 16 in Fig. 8. In this form the fastening elements are bent inwardly substantially parallel with the upper face of the cover, as shown in Fig. '7, which position they continue to occupy until ready for use. This enables the covers to be shipped separate from the crates or container without danger of unduly bending the fastening elements.

When the container is filled and the cover is ready to be secured thereto it is placed in position on the container, and the fastening wires 14 are bent outwardly over the outer edge of the cleat 9 and downwardly behind the binding wire 2, and then laterally and upwardly as at 1'? around the binding wire (see Fig. 6), which completes securing of the cover in position when all of the plurality of fastening elements have been secured, as just described. It is also understood that this type of fastening element may also be used in connection with a container not provided with binding wires, in which event the fastening elements 14 will be bent beneath and upwardly on the inside face of the top cleat of the end wall of the container, in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 5 in connection with the form of fastening element of Fig. 1.

Another form of fastening element is shown in Figs. 9 to 12, inclusive, in which the fastening element 20 is formed of a single length of flexible wire bent upon itself intermediate of its ends to form two parallel legs, the inner end of each of which leg is bent to form a book 21. When shipping the covers these hooks 21 are hooked over the outer edge of each end of the cover, as shown in Fig. 10, so that the body of the fastening element-will extend inwardly of the cover and parallel therewith, so as to not be unduly bent prior to the fastening of the cover onto the container.

When it is desired to fasten the cover onto the '1' container the fastening elements 21 are moved outwardly to release hooks 21 from the outer edge of the cover, and the hooks are then hooked over the inner edge of cleats 9, after the manner shown in Figs. 9 and 12. of the fastening elements to extend outwardly over the edge of the cover, and they are then bent downwardly at 22 (see Fig. 12) and passed behind binding wire 2, and then bent laterally and upwardly, so that the free end 23 lies closely adjaof the container, so that when the container is 1 slightly more than filled the cover will be pressed down over the contents and caused to bulge somewhat, especially near the middle portion, which bulging will foreshorten the cover to approximately the same length as the length of the container. This, however, is not indispensable, as the invention is also applicable with covers of the same length as the length of the container, if desired.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination a wire-bound container, a cover having cleats at its end edges and flat metal flexible fastening elements secured between the cleats and cover and adapted to extend inwardly of the cover ends and lie flat This causes the body portion 1 ,cover having a cleat at each end, one or more flexible wire fastening elements each having one end secured to a cleat, each of said fastening elements extending inwardly of the ends of the cover to lie approximately parallel therewith prior to its use as a cover fastener, each of said elements when used to fasten the cover to the container being bent upwardly and outwardly to extend over the outer edge of the cleat and then downwardly in close engagement therewith,

the downwardly extending portion passing behind an adjacent binding wire and being bent laterally and upwardly in close engagement therewith.

3. In combination a wire-bound container, a cover having a cleat at each end on the upper side thereof, and metal flexible fastening elements secured between said cleats and cover and wardly from the binding wire and occupying a position closely adjacent the downwardly extending portion.

4. In combination a container and a cover therefor, side walls for said container, said side walls each having a transversely extending strengthening member at its upper edge, said cover having a cleat at each end on its upper side, a flexible metal fastening element secured to eachof said cover cleats to lie approximately horizontal on the cover to extend inwardly from the cover ends prior to being bent into fastening position, said fastening elements when the cover is being secured to the container being bent outwardly and downwardly to extend over the edge of the cover and then underneath and around the lower edge of said transversely extending member.

5. In combination a container and a cover therefor, side walls for said container, said side Walls each having a retaining member extending along its upper edge, around which flexible fastening elements may be bent, said cover having cleats at its end edges on the upper side thereof, flexible metal fastening elements secured be tween the cleats and cover and adapted to extend inwardly of the cover ends and lie flat against the cover prior to fastening the cover on the container, said fastening elements when thecover is being secured to the container being bent outwardly and downwardly to extend over the edge of the cover and then underneath and around the lower edge ofsaid retaining member.

NEIL A. FOWLER. 

